Completed [The Arms Gallery] Tools of the Trade

[Valdr]

3rd of Summer, 514

Valdr worked the bellows of the forge, working the air underneath to feed the flames and heat the metal to the right temperature. His project was simple, well within the range of his talent. Late in the spring one of his favorite chisels, a hot cutter. Had snapped from too much stress. And while he was disappointed, Valdr wasn’t altogether too surprised either. It had been one of the first tools that he had made himself during his apprenticeship while still a novice, and while it served him well, it really wasn’t of the best quality.

He could have gotten another one from a fellow smith or bartered for one on one of the market days, but he preferred to forge his own his own, his self-reliant nature and the instructions of Ealo, the man who had taken him on as an apprentice almost demanded that he did. “A tool that you can’ make yer’self, is tool you ain’ fit to wield.” Valdr smiled, recalling the words of the grizzled old man. The satisfaction of using tools that you create over ones that were created by others is hard to beat. And so, Valdr worked the bellows.

[Valdr]

Next to the forge, on a stone hued work bench lay the tools that Valdr would be using; a pair of tongs, his hammer, and various grinding and polishing stones that he will need to complete his task. To the front of it, lay the large cast-iron anvil that was the main tool of his trade. It’s top was flat, with the rounded horn protruding from one end, and on the other, small holes used for punching.

Once he felt that the fire had enough air, he stepped away from the bellows, grabbed the tongs and carefully picked up the two steel billets that he placed in the fire. He had stacked them carefully atop one another, for the purpose of combining the two billets into one, and thus added a little more strength to the final product. Carefully inspecting the glowing pieces of steel in the dim light, he saw that they were hot enough and placed them on anvil. Picking up his hammer, he began to forge the two pieces into one, focusing one end first. The two separate billets began to flatten into one under his hammer’s blows, the crease indicating where one lay on top of the other slowly fading away. He would repeat this process three more times, each time focusing on the opposite end of the previous until he had one solid piece of dully glowing metal, which he placed back into the fire to reheat.

Valdr pumped the bellows a few more times, then with the poker he stirred the embers around the metal, stopping only briefly to wipe the sweat from his brow. It would take a few ticks for the now single steel billet to reach the right temperature, however Valdr had learned patience in his many years of working the forges. He took the tongs and removed the steel from the fire, inspecting it once more. At first glance it seemed ready, glowing a bright orange, however under closer observation he saw that the steel had not heated evenly, and thus required more time. He placed the steel back in the fire, and pumped the bellows even more, ensuring that the flames had enough oxygen. After about twenty ticks Valdr removed the billet once more from the forge, it now glowing bright yellow.

[Valdr]

Valdr placed the heated piece of metal against the horn of the anvil along the length of the billet. With his hammer, he hit the glowing steel, the solid ring of metal striking metal filling the dimly lit room. As he struck the heated steel, he forced the malleable metal to bend along the rounded horn. Once the piece was rounded, while still glowing a bright orange, he placed it on the flat surface of anvil and struck the edges, forcing them down to round out the entire piece. He would repeat this process several times, first by reheating the metal then using his hammer to round the metal even further. As he did so, he drew the metal out, making it longer but taking care not increase its width. Over the course of his work, Valdr moved almost without thought. He entered almost into a trance like state while he worked, his mind was clear, and his actions were defined. It was a state of being that he enjoyed immensely. Every few strikes he would turn the now rounded billet on its side to strike at the overall length, upsetting it so that by the end of it all he had one dully glowing rod of steel about 6 inches in length.

At this point Valdr placed the rod on the anvil, his tools on the stone workbench, and breathed a sigh. His work was half done he still needed to form the rod into the shape of the chisel, then grind it down to its edge, however his back ached from standing over the anvil and his hand was numb from all the forging. He let the forge simmer down, but not enough to extinguish. He sat against one of the walls, resting his head as he relaxed his body. Blacksmithing was demanding work, yet it was necessary for the survival of Wind Reach, and he needed all his tools to do his part for the city.

After ten bells, Valdr stood back up, stretched his muscles and began to revive the forge. He needed finish making his chisel if he was to do his duty to the city. Once the flames were high, he placed and rod into the forge and waited for it to reach the correct temperature. Once it did, he placed it back onto the anvil and began working on its shape. The sound of metal striking metal ringing sharply in the air.

Continued on A chisel is just a tool

[Roscoe]

Valdr Skill Points| Observation +2 Blacksmithing +2 Endurance +1 Lore| Ealo: Grizzled Old Mentor The Art of Self Reliance Getting in the Zone Doing What Must Be Done for Wind Reach Blacksmithing: Identifying Forging Heat Blacksmithing: Combining Billets to Improve Strength Blacksmithing: Proper Billows Use Blacksmithing: Drawing the Metal Blacksmithing: Starting a Chisel Notes| This was a really nice read! I loved how you were honest about the faults/errors of your character and you did a good job of playing within your skill level. The only thing that could have improved this would have been Valdr actually finishing the process of making the chisel. Still, aside from that a great thread and a fun and interesting read. You write well and I look forward to reading more of Valdr. If you have any questions about my grade or want to discuss it with me further, feel free to shoot me a PM.